


Wrinkles

by lululawrence



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Age Difference, Alternate Universe, American Harry Styles, American Louis Tomlinson, Basically, Crack, Fluff, Fluff and Crack, M/M, No Smut, Plot Twists, Secrets, Soulmates, Unlikely events, wrinkles
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-15
Updated: 2020-07-15
Packaged: 2021-03-05 01:46:42
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,754
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25276378
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lululawrence/pseuds/lululawrence
Summary: Louis looked at the elderly couple sitting at the table across from where he and Harry were currently sat. They looked so happy, and he admired the wrinkles that appeared beside their eyes and mouths. The signs of their time passed on this earth, for all to see. Signs he would never see on himself.
Relationships: Harry Styles/Louis Tomlinson
Comments: 12
Kudos: 126
Collections: Week Fifty-Nine





	Wrinkles

**Author's Note:**

  * For [LadyLondonderry](https://archiveofourown.org/users/LadyLondonderry/gifts).



> This is... very random. It's a very complex idea thrown together in around 4k words with a few very specific things tossed in because I love Emmu and want to make her happy always. Happy Birthday, my dear! I hope this is just out there enough to make you smile lol and I also hope it makes sense at all because I'm honestly not sure it does.
> 
> This fic was also written as part of an ongoing challenge using the book 1000 Feelings For Which There Are No Names for our prompts. To read the other fics written in this challenge, [click here](http://archiveofourown.org/collections/ShortFic_Challenge_For_Which_There_Is_No_Name/works). You can find more information on the challenge here and to reblog the masterpost on tumblr, you can [click here](http://lululawrence.tumblr.com/post/159679804243/1000-feelings-for-which-there-are-no-names-prompt).
> 
> My prompt was 301: The envy of wrinkles on an old person’s face.
> 
> Thank you to my very last minute beta [Lynda](https://wait4ever.tumblr.com) and to [Jenna](https://jaerie.tumblr.com) for helping me figure out what the hell to do with this prompt lollll I love and appreciate you both!
> 
> In case the fic itself doesn't make this explicitly clear, this is a work of fiction and has absolutely nothing to do with the real people this is somewhat based on. Please don't translate or repost this fic without my express permission. Thank you!

Louis walked along the beach and knew he’d made the right choice. There had been so many options for where to go, but he’d felt the sun calling. 

He didn’t want to go to one of the more popular beaches where the co-eds were, he’d had more than enough of all of that. He wanted something quiet where he could still enjoy his time off, but also would give him plenty of opportunity to have some fun.

After doing research he had landed in a small town in Florida. It was pretty well off, but he’d found an apartment complex that was within his means and plenty of retirement communities that could use his nursing services. He was hired quickly, thanks to a combination of his degree and all of his experience volunteering, and now he was on a small stretch of beach where no one else was.

No one except the same man with long, curly hair that Louis had seen on the beach every morning around six. The man was never jogging and it wasn’t like they got the good sunrise shot on the beach. Louis had yet to figure out what exactly he was doing there every day, but Louis felt drawn to him. One day he’d talk to him and learn more about him.

For now, he dipped his toes into the water and kept to himself.

*~~***~~*

Louis looked at the elderly couple sitting at the table across from where he and Harry were currently sat. They looked so happy, and he admired the wrinkles that appeared beside their eyes and mouths. The signs of their time passed on this earth, for all to see. Signs he would never see on himself.

Harry waved his hand in front of Louis’ face. Blinking back to the gorgeous man sat in front of him, Louis chuckled, cheeks pink.

“Sorry,” he said, sipping his tea. “Mind wandered.”

“I could tell,” Harry said with a smile. “I didn’t mean to bore you with the story.”

“Oh, you could never bore me with talk of the eighties,” Louis said with a smile. “They were a great decade. I preferred the nineties, but to each their own.”

Harry’s laugh was filled with disbelief. “Oh, sure. Like you remember even the nineties. You were a child then, if you were even born.”

Louis rolled his eyes. “Excuse you, I was born. And one doesn’t need to have lived in a decade to appreciate it or know about it.”

“Hmm,” Harry said, eyes narrowed. “Yes, well, dear youth, I must be going.”

Louis checked his watch in surprise at the amount of time that had passed. “Oh, wow. I’ve got to go too. I work at noon and had no idea so much time had passed already.”

“Yeah, that keeps happening whenever we do breakfast,” Harry agreed, chuckling. 

Louis wouldn’t mind if it happened all the time. He’d start with breakfast twice a week, though.

“It does. Maybe we should try hanging out after work sometime so we don’t have to worry about running off in our own directions.”

“Oh, you don’t want to spend your time with an old man like me when you could go out partying or whatever with people your own age,” Harry brushed off immediately, just like he always did.

Louis was having a hard time getting him to understand that he was an old soul. He’d never felt at one with the youth of this time and he felt no desire to party. It was part of why he’d chosen to live here. He felt far more comfortable with people who were of a certain age. 

Harry was actually younger than Louis usually spent time with. He tended towards those who were in their seventies or eighties now. Harry was only in his mid-forties. He was practically a spry chicken compared to Louis’ other friends.

“Harry,” Louis said, putting his hand on Harry’s arm so he would look at Louis and know he was serious. “I’m so done partying. A relaxing evening with you sounds far more fun to me than going out to a club or whatever. When you’re ready to do so, I’d love to have dinner together.”

Harry sputtered, cheeks going pink. “Dinner?”

Louis smiled and squeezed his arm. “Yes. I’ll even cook for you, if you’d like.”

Harry’s eyes were wide as he shook his head. “Louis, no, that sounds far too-”

“Too much like a date,” Louis interrupted. “Yes, because it  _ would _ be a date. But only if you wanted it to be. I’ll respect your boundaries.”

They were walking on the sidewalk towards their apartment complex now. It turned out that they lived in the same complex, which was part of the reason why they were on the same stretch of beach every morning. 

“It feels entirely inappropriate for someone as young as you to think about dating someone like me,” Harry argued quietly.

“Why?” Louis asked. “We’re both consenting adults. We’re both single. You’re incredibly attractive and smart and funny. And we get along well, don’t we?” Louis pressed. “It’s why we’re such good friends.”

“Yes, and friends is fine. More than friends is… not something I’m comfortable with.”

Louis nodded. “That’s fine. Would you like to have dinner together as friends, then? We could even order pizza or something equally not romantic so it seems more dude-bro-pal or whatever.”

Harry smiled shyly, even as he looked at the ground. Louis saw his dimple starting to sink into his cheek, though. That was always a good sign.

“Yeah, I’d be alright with that.”

“Antiques Roadshow is on tomorrow at eight,” Louis said, wagging his eyes. “I’m off at six, so I could pick up a pizza and come on by afterwards?”

Harry laughed and shook his head. “You know just the way to my heart. Yeah, tomorrow sounds good.”

“Great,” Louis said, smiling. 

He wanted more, but he’d take friends. Maybe he could get Harry to understand why he felt the way he did if they spent more time together.

He’d have to wait and see.

*~~***~~*

“What the hell did you do to this sink?” Harry asked with a grunt as he moved around beneath it.

Louis folded his arms. “Nothing! It had given me issues from the day I moved in, but I didn’t think anything about it until it started making that grinding sound today.”

“Can you hand me my phone? I need a little more light under here and I left it on the counter.”

Louis quickly grabbed it and handed it to Harry. Louis had learned a lot of skills over the years and was incredibly handy. He could do basic maintenance on cars, help with various renovation needs, and had even learned how to fix his own old as shit washing machine when it broke down in his last apartment.

Plumbing though? He’d tried. He didn’t know what it was, but he couldn’t figure it out. As soon as his sink started making the ugly sound it did and then had disgusting water flowing back out, he called Harry. He figured an engineer professor would know what he was doing, and luckily he was right.

“God, this is disgusting and I am sorry for blaming you. It’s obvious this sink had issues way before you moved in,” Harry said before coming out from the cabinets. “There’s several parts that need replacing, but the shops are all closed now. I’ll have to get it tomorrow and I can fix it in the evening. Will you be okay until then?”

Louis shrugged. It was already nearing nine at night. He hadn’t had dinner yet, but that didn’t mean much. 

“I’ll be fine. I can make do with leftovers and delivery until then.”

Harry wiped his hands on one of the disgusting looking rags he brought with him as he watched Louis with concern. 

“You sure you can do without?”

Louis rolled his eyes. “I do have other options for getting water in this place. The bathroom, for instance. And I keep bottled water to drink anyway since the stuff here tastes so disgusting.”

“Yeah, that’s probably for the best,” Harry said with a smile. 

Harry’s eyes lingered on Louis, and his heart began to race. This had been happening more and more frequently lately. Louis had stopped asking Harry outright on dates, but had continued ensuring they hung out as friends. As the weeks had gone by, Harry had gotten more comfortable with Louis’ presence and they’d gained familiarity with each other’s physical space.

The touches began to last a little longer than they had before. During pauses in their conversations, Louis would catch Harry watching him with a look that Louis could only describe as intent. His body kicked into high gear every time until someone broke eye contact or cleared a throat, breaking the tension.

“So, have you had dinner already tonight?” Harry asked, coughing a little and turning from Louis as he focused on his tools.

“No, was going to make some spaghetti when the sink went crazy. You?”

“Just took it out of the oven when you called,” Harry said, finally turning and looking at Louis. “You could join me, if you’d like. There’s more than enough.”

Louis smiled. It wasn’t often that Harry was the one doing the inviting. Usually he just let Louis choose when and where they’d hang out and Harry went with it, so there was no way he’d ever turn down this option.

“Sounds great,” Louis said with a smile.

Harry gathered his things. “You don’t even know what it is.”

“No, but you made it so I know it’s good.”

“You have too much confidence in me,” Harry said with a chuckle.

“Eh,” Louis said, waving his hands before he locked his apartment door. “If it really is that bad, just give me some wine and I’ll forget about it soon enough.”

Harry let out one of his ridiculous honking laughs and Louis’ belly squirmed. He loved knowing he was the reason for Harry’s laughter, especially when he laughed hard enough to make that particular sound.

“I don’t know what it is about your comedic timing but I swear I never made that noise before meeting you,” Harry said, cheeks pink with embarrassment.

Louis licked his lips and nodded. “You say that like it’s a bad thing, but honestly I’m quite proud of myself and kind of like that no one else has made you laugh like that. Makes me feel special.”

“You are special,” Harry whispered as he fiddled with his keys, almost like he didn’t intend Louis to hear.

“Just not special enough to date?” Louis asked, arching a brow.

Harry huffed a sigh. “You’re plenty special, but imagine what people would think, hmm? I could be your father.”

Louis snorted. “Hardly.”

“What was that?” Harry asked, his keys clanging as he unlocked his door. 

Louis took a deep breath. “Nothing. But for real, is it just what others would think that is holding you back? Because I’ve never connected with anyone like I connect with you. I’ve always gotten along with those who seem unlikely to onlookers. Hell, one of my best friends right now is a sassy old woman at the retirement home where I work named Ellen. She’s 92 and legitimately knows all of my secrets.”

Harry shook his head as he let them into his place. “It just wouldn’t be right,” Harry insisted.

“Why not?” Louis asked.

“Because I want to settle down, I already  _ am _ settled,” Harry argued as he headed for the counter. “And you’re still so young. You have so much life to live. I do too, but I’m not adventurous or exciting like I once was. I like the quiet and routine my life has now. Even if you think you want this, you’d get bored of it soon enough. I know you would.”

“So you won’t let us even try because you’re scared,” Louis says.

Harry groans and pulls plates down from the cabinet. “Can’t we just have a nice dinner, Louis?”

“I see the way you look at me,” Louis says as Harry turns and looks at him. “It feels like you want me too.”

“So what if I do?” Harry asked, holding his arms out to his side. “It doesn’t mean that it’s okay for someone around twenty-five years your elder to date you. I’m more than twice your age. It doesn’t matter how mature you seem, that is a significant difference when it comes to life experience.”

Louis shook his head. “That doesn’t matter. Not in this situation.”

“To me it  _ does _ matter,” Harry said, quietly. “It does.”

Louis took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Well. I can’t very well argue with that.”

Harry looked up at him and sighed. “Thank you. And I’m sorry.”

“Me too,” Louis said with a weak smile. “So. What did you make for us?”

*~~***~~*

“Shit,” Louis cursed as the boxes in his arms shifted. 

Louis had made the incredibly poor decision to try to carry two of the boxes containing parts for a new bookshelf or dresser or something Harry had bought for himself at IKEA at the same time. They were heavy and Louis thought he had it, but they continued to shift with every movement he made, and that was a lot considering he had three flights of stairs to climb to get to Harry’s apartment. 

Frozen near the top of the second flight, Louis tried to rebalance himself so the boxes would recenter on his arms. He bit his lip and figured he’d try to make the last two steps and then he could set them down and start fresh.

“Louis, you need help?” Harry called and Louis could hear him making his way towards him.

“No, I think I’m…” Louis cut himself off when he tripped a bit on a step and the boxes shifted. “Fuck fuck fuck!”

Louis tried to right himself, but he over corrected and before he knew it, he was falling down the stairs in what seemed like slow motion. An intense pain shot up his side, and then it all went black.

*~~***~~*

Louis woke up to a mostly dark room, the sound of beeps, and pain shooting through his entire body. He had never felt anything like it before.

It was incredibly unpleasant and he’d prefer it to never happen again. 

Then again, it shouldn’t even be happening in the first place. Fleeting pain, yes. But sharp, stabbing pain that causes him to pass out or the overall throbbing he was currently dealing with? No. Something was very wrong.

Rolling his eyes at himself, he knew that wasn’t right. Something was actually very right and Louis was incredibly lucky that the very miracle he’d never expected to ever happen actually had. He hadn’t been sure, but he had suspected. Now, he supposed he knew for sure.

He couldn’t help but laugh at the fact that the wrinkles that were slowly appearing by his eyes hadn’t been enough to prove that he was, against all odds, aging. He had to fall down the stairs like a disaster of a man before he—

“Oh my God, are you awake?”

Louis looked over from where he’d been staring at some of the machines and found Harry sitting in a chair beside his hospital bed in the dark.

“Harry?” Louis croaked. It was obvious he’d been out for longer than he’d expected. “What are you doing here?”

“What do you mean, what… I watched you nearly fall to your death trying to help me!” Harry said, indignantly. “I wasn’t going to just leave you to sit alone in the hospital. Especially when I know you don’t really have any family to call. You had to have someone here.”

Louis pursed his lips and looked away at Harry’s mention of his family. If only Harry really knew.

“Plus I want to be here.”

Louis looked back. “You do?”

Harry shrugged. “Yeah. I care about you, you know?”

“I’m lucky to have a friend like you,” Louis said carefully. It felt so wrong to call Harry just a friend, but Louis had to respect his wishes, and Harry had been incredibly clear multiple times. Even if he felt the same way for Louis, he wasn’t comfortable with things going further.

“No.” Harry said it forcefully and shook his head as if needing to make it even more clear. “I mean, yes. I do care for you as a friend as well, but also I care about you as so much more than a friend too. When I saw you falling like that, I was so, so scared.”

Harry stopped talking to swallow and couldn’t keep looking Louis in the eye. Louis held out his hand as far as it could go with all the IVs and wires currently attached to him and waited. Harry took his hand gently, yet firmly, and leaned forward to press a kiss to his fingers, one of the only places not covered in tape.

“There wasn’t any blood, but you weren’t responding at all and that made it almost worse. I couldn’t see where you’d been hurt or what kind of injury might have been caused. I nearly hyperventilated trying to call 9-1-1.”

Harry looked up at Louis then, and smiled ruefully. “Thankfully I got my panic under control so they didn’t need to send another ambulance out.”

Louis chuckled a little before groaning at the motion. “Shit, don’t make me do that again. Fuck, is this what it’s like? This sucks. Maybe I don’t want this after all.”

Brows furrowed, Harry asked, “Want what? Your broken hip?”

“You’re fucking kidding me. I fell and broke my hip?” Louis asked as he winced and hissed a little bit. “Considering you’re always going on about how old you are, this seems like quite the irony.”

Harry squawked a second, a fun mixture of his usual honk and an affronted gasp. Louis smirked but somehow kept himself from laughing and causing more pain.

Giving Louis a warning glance, Harry chuckled once more before he continued. “Rude, but also I don’t really expect anything less from you.”

“Good,” Louis said.

Harry squeezed his hand gently. “As I was sitting there, waiting for them to come for you, all I could think was how much I didn’t want to lose you.” He took a deep, shuddering breath and swiped a hand at his eyes, making Louis’ heart clench. “You were right. I was scared. But I’m more scared of losing you without making sure you know that… God I feel like such an idiot jumping right to this, but I think I love you.”

“You  _ think _ you love me?” Louis asked. “Wow. That’s a powerful declaration there, Harry.”

Harry sighed, looking at Louis unimpressed. “I didn’t want to scare you, we’ve only known each other for five months and haven’t even been on a single date.”

“And whose fault is that?” Louis asked, pointedly.

“God, you’re exhausting, even injured in the hospital.”

“Yes, and you best get used to it,” Louis said. He wanted to fold his arms, but at this point it felt like it would be too much effort. “You’re going to be stuck with me for forever now, you know.”

Harry smirked. “Forever, huh?”

Louis nodded. “Yeah. We’re soulmates. I was just waiting for you to catch on.”

“Of course you were,” Harry said, chuckling. “Maybe we’ve gone about this in the wrong order. I love you, soulmates, and then the first date.”

Louis hummed, his eyelids drooping. It was crazy how tired he felt despite the fact he’d only just woken up. “Yeah. On our first date I’ll have to tell you all my life-altering secrets.”

“Life altering?” Harry asked, sounding skeptical.

“You have no idea.”

*~~***~~*

“I always knew you had an active imagination, but this is going a bit far, Louis.”

Louis looked at Harry in exasperation. “I’m not sure how exactly I’m supposed to prove that my father was an elf and my mother was human. He fucked off when I was three days old and therefore I know nothing other than when I reached the age of twenty I officially stopped aging and would have remained immortal if I’d never met my soulmate.”

“And I’m your soulmate,” Harry inserted.

“Yes.”

“How do you even know that much?” Harry asked.

“Excellent question. I figured out a few things on my own, but I got my first wrinkles after moving here. I never thought I’d have those and I was incredibly lost. But remember Ellen?”

“Your best friend who’s ninety-two?” Harry asked.

“Yeah,” Louis said, a fond smile on his face. “She’s actually 392, but she met her soulmate and began aging when she did. She could tell I was like her, a kindred spirit of sorts, and she took me under her wing, teaching me as much as she could about our kind since my dad didn’t stick around to do it.”

Harry just stared at Louis. He knew it was a lot to take in, but in for a penny, and all that. 

“And my hip?” Louis said, pointing down to his side. “Just like with the wrinkles, that never would have happened before you. I would have felt some pain and then it would have healed itself by the time you were even able to reach where I’d landed on the stairs.”

“You’re telling me you only got injured from something like that because you met me and it made you mortal? And I’m the reason you have wrinkles at the age of twenty-two?”

Louis winced. “Not actually twenty-two.”

“Oh my God,” Harry muttered, hands covering his face. “Okay. Go ahead. How old?”

“I’ll be seventy-six this year.”

“What the fuck.”

“I know it’s a lot,” Louis said, holding his hand out to Harry. “I know. It’s okay if you need some time to figure out if you’re alright with all of this or whatever…”

“No,” Harry said, head shooting up so fast his bun wobbled on top of his head a little bit and took Louis’ outstretched hand in his. “No. I don’t need time. I meant what I said in the hospital. I love you. This is just… rather unbelievable. You know that, right?”

Louis sighed. “Yeah.”

Harry studied Louis’ face before reaching out his other hand to gently trace the creases by Louis’ eyes. “I think aging quite becomes you.”

Louis chuckled. “Me too.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! I hope you liked it. If you did, please consider leaving me a kudos, a nice comment, or maybe even [reblogging the fic post](https://lululawrence.tumblr.com/tagged/my-fic-post)!


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